Black Isle Folds

But Interplay still holds firm with Baldur's Gate II and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

By IGN Staff

Although Interplay has not issued a formal statement, Black Isle Studios has allegedly closed down, according to a personal letter on Interplay's forums.

The letter was written by a former studio member who said that he just wanted to thank the company's fans and supporters. "Today was my last day at the (former) BIS, as it was for my whole team. I just wanted to say farewell to the best fans in the industry, and thanks for all the great feedback and support," said Damien Foletto, also known as "Puuk" on the boards.

IGN contacted an Interplay representative who said she could not officially comment on Black Isle for legal reasons. She added that the PC title Fallout 3 was never officially announced, so she could not comment on its status one way or the other.

IGN made several attempts to contact other members of Interplay's development teams, but many of have either been laid off or have resigned. So, while Black Isle Studios isn't officially closed, with a few special exceptions, the entire Fallout 3 team (officially/unofficially or however you want to mince it) has been let go. Needless to say, that doesn't bode well for the future of Fallout 3.

What does this mean for the other games in the Southern California publisher's quiver? There is good news. Interplay was able to officially comment on two of them. The PS2 and Xbox games Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, are still both officially coming. They're all but complete. And they're officially due sometime in Q1 2004. We believe they're both scheduled for early January releases (around January 5-ish).

Since Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel are nearly complete, and much of the Dark Alliance II's team has moved onto other Interplay projects, we can only assume that means Black Isle Studios will effectively be defunct in the very near future.